Help Us Build a Forever Home for Wildlife!
Pacific Wildlife Care is thrilled to announce our plans for a new, permanent home in San Luis Obispo. Located on a beautiful 10-acre property, the Kim and Derrel Ridenour Wildlife Rehabilitation Center will enable us to better serve our community’s wildlife. Our comprehensive goal of $11.5 million will secure funding needed for the construction of this transformational project and create a sustainable future for PWC. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we’ve raised $5.7 million towards the $7 million needed for initial planning and construction needs. Additionally we have raised $3.8 million in legacy gifts to help create a sustainable future for PWC.
With construction starting in early 2025, your support is vital. Donate today to help us create a brighter future for wildlife in San Luis Obispo County.
Behind the Scenes at PWC
Pacific Wildlife Care (PWC) has been an advocate for wildlife in San Luis Obispo County since 1984.
From that time we have grown from a small group of dedicated home rehabilitators into a successful non-profit organization with a well-equipped rehabilitation center, a full-time wildlife veterinarian, a small paid staff, and nearly 200 volunteers. In addition to the Rehabilitation Center, which is open every day of the year, we maintain a Wildlife Hotline that the public can call to report distressed wildlife (injured, sick, orphaned) and to receive information about our local wildlife.
The Latest from PWC
Pacific Wildlife Care News
Red-tailed Hawk 24-1516: The Final Chapter
The multi-episode saga of RTHA 24-1516 had all the dangers and plot twists of a summer blockbuster. The nestling hawk […]
Golden Eagle 24-1834: The Mystery and Challenges of a Very Large Bird
The story of Golden Eagle 24-1834 was a medical mystery full of clues, detective work, challenges, and one red herring. […]
A Very Good Badger
“Charming” is not a word used in wildlife rehabilitation, but everyone was secretly charmed by American Badger 24-936. More precisely, […]
The Summer of Baby Bats
In the sweltering July heat, baby Mexican Free-tailed Bats dropped to the ground like unripe fruit. These tiny mammals need […]
A First for PWC!
On Friday, July 26th a California Department of Fish and Wildlife Services biologist brought an endangered California Condor into PWC’s […]
Hanging by a Wing
Such an innocuous thing – a piece of string, likely from a kite. Innocuous, maybe, to the human eye, but […]
Facebook Posts
Get ready for this winter’s Morro Bay Bird Festival, January 16 - 20, 2025! With over 250 events, there is something for everyone – field trips for beginner to expert birders, nature-journaling, photography classes, and so much more! Registration opens November 2 at 8am.
Check out morrobaybirdfestival.org for more information.
#MorroBayBirdFestival #Birds #NatureJournaling ... See MoreSee Less
👻🎃 Halloween Special: Skeleton Guess Who! 🎃👻
🦴Can you guess this animal by its skeleton? This dark-feathered flier may look haunting as it circles high in the sky, but it’s no witch! Soaring on broad wings, it uses its keen sense of smell to sniff out its next meal. Equipped with a hooked beak for tearing flesh, this scavenger plays an essential role as part of nature’s cleanup crew. If this creature feels threatened, it has a gutsy way of defending itself...it throws up! 🧟♀️💀
These animals are regularly seen around SLO County – they are often brought to PWC with fractures from being hit by cars, gunshot wounds, or lead poisoning. This individual came to PWC with a fractured wing (not pictured), an air rifle pellet near its shoulder, and a BB in its body cavity. Thanks to our staff, and after five weeks in care, this animal was healthy enough and returned to the wild.
🖤 Our ability to take x-ray images like this allows our dedicated staff to provide the highest level of care to wildlife patients, ensuring they get the treatment they need to heal and return to the wild.
👀 Can you identify which species this skeleton belongs to? Put your guess in the comments!
#Wildlife #GuessTheAnimal #WildlifeRehab #WildlifeRehabilitation ... See MoreSee Less
🦉 Time to clean your owl boxes! Natural tree cavities have become scarce, so installing nest boxes can attract families of owls to your property. Barn owls, common cavity-nesters in San Luis Obispo County, are great to have around – a family of barn owls can eat 4,000 rodents in a year!
But it’s important to CLEAN owl boxes annually, for the health of the owls. Every year, we treat nestling barn owls with dirty feathers and burned feet caused by dirty nest boxes with years of accumulated feces and pellets. Clean your owl boxes during the non-breeding season by sweeping out the old debris while wearing gloves and a mask (no soap required). October through December is usually a good time to do this, but skip the disturbance if you have owls actively using your box.
Owl boxes are a great way to observe wildlife and control rodents on your property. Don’t have owl boxes yourself? Consider installing one on your property or share this message with a friend! It is important these boxes be properly built and positioned; learn more about owl boxes at ojairaptorcenter.org/barn-owl-box-guide.
❌Do not use rat poisons – poison kills owls (and is also a danger to pets and children!). If you have a rodent problem, learn about safer methods of control at raptorsarethesolution.org.
Thank you for providing a safe, clean box for these helpful inhabitants to start their next family!
#Wildlife #Owl #BarnOwl #OwlBox #NoRodenticides #RaptorsAreTheSolution #CaliforniaWildlife #BirdFacts ... See MoreSee Less
PWC's first-ever Backyard Bioblitz was a blast! During the months of August and September we partnered with iNaturalist.org to host our inaugural Bioblitz project. We asked and you delivered with so many creative, exciting, and unique photos of wildlife throughout SLO County. Thank you for living peacefully alongside wildlife!
And remember, you can post wildlife observations to iNaturalist.org year-round to contribute to meaningful citizen science efforts!
#pacificwildlifecare #backyardbioblitz #bioblitz #wildlife #keepthemwild #citizenscience #inaturalist ... See MoreSee Less